iGame - App Store

Well, maybe it’s time to take bets.

There are those enthusiasts gonzos who crave for any kind of news that would look like something big is coming this way, and there are those smart naysayers who believe that being cynical, pessimistic and jaded is cooler and better (sorry lads, there are just too many of you doing that right now, you’re a tad late).

As far as Forbes is concerned, they say YES to Apple gaming… while others laugh at the claim, and remind us of Apple’s former failures.

Why the craze? It’s because App Store is coming, a platform where developers will be able to put up their creations, to be downloaded by Apple customers.
This is what the PSP should have had. For one, we’ll see how the idea of attempted mainstream downloading of games will fare (this may make one Perry happy, right?).

You have to admit, the motion sensitive system included in the iPhone would have been absolutely purfect for a game such as Loco Roco.

But I remain convinced that Apple’s phones aren’t the best platforms gaming you could think of, and I mean it’s rather obvious. Too locked up, lacking correct ergonomics, controls still screen-dependant, and there are several technical limitations to these products, notably on the memory side.

Nintendo's DS is well too implanted into the market to be kicked off by any stuff by Apple. The DS has far too many games. The DS is a gaming machine. It won’t budge.

However, this sort of manoeuvre would represent a good first step into the gaming market. But the question is if Apple is capable, or willing to nurture real game projects and help the developers make their machines successful and game friendly?
Well, at least Apple is far more capable of launching a proper marketing campaign than Nokia is, and have the money to guarantee that. If they want you to know that they’re getting into the gaming segment, and if they’re serious about it, I’m sure they’ll make sure you know it.

My take on it is that I don’t see the iPhone making lots of ripples beyond what a potentially new challenger with a big name would do, and a real handheld, meant for games, will be the best way to get into the gaming industry for real.

Keeping an eye on the success or failure of App Store will be important. Plus counting the 100,000 SDK downloads from March, we may have something to talk about after all.

EDIT: According to PC Advisor, a total of 250,000 SDKs has been downloaded to this day. Not bad, eh?

EDIT2: Steve Jobs gave more details about the new iPhone, notably the sale of 8GB and 16GB versions, both ready for full 3G networking and GPS (community city-maze games ahoy!).

EDIToo many: I totally forgot those news back from February which revealed that Apple secured their trademark into other domains. For the reminder, the filing:

Toys, games and playthings, namely, hand-held units for playing electronic games; hand-held units for playing video games; stand alone video game machines; electronic games other than those adapted for use with television receivers only; LCD game machines; electronic educational game machines for children; toys, namely battery-powered computer games with display screens which feature animation and sound effects.

It's tempting to imagine that this goes beyong the iPhone and iPod Touch. I mean, these devices largely precede that filing.

iGame - Apple's hand held console, Part I